Wintry Mix

Happy New Year and happy winter! I am emerging from a post-Holidays hiatus. A light, dry snow fell yesterday. I like how when it first started snowing the wind blew it into wispy, whiskery streaks along the street.

And how it created a halo glow around this piece of string.

The last snow here in Philadelphia was in December- we got a crazy 23 inches or something. I had to go to A Very Kensington Christmas at Greensgrow Farms the next day, and I woke up early to dig out the car, got stuck trying to drive closer to my house to load up, but eventually, finally, made it. However, I was one of the only ones to do so that day.

I had been at this event the previous weekend, though, and it was great! A Very Kensington Christmas is InLiquid's holiday sale at Greensgrow Farms, a really cool urban farm and nursery in the Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia. People were coming by throughout the day to pick up their CSA share, Christmas trees and wreaths, and shopping at our tables for gifts.

Greensgrow was also selling soups and-- get this-- chestnuts! which were actually roasted on an open fire! I could not resist. Have you ever had one? They can be difficult to open, especially when they are charred, the leather skins get brittle. Then there is a furry layer which is funny and soft, but it tastes bitter so you need to pick that away as well. And then, if your chestnut hasn't crumbled apart by this point, you have a brainy-textured nugget that tastes sweet and roasty, with a powdery and creamy texture that ends up melting in your mouth.

From Scratch Market

Snowday Ceramics had a table this past weekend at the From Scratch Market held at the Trexlertown Grange near Allentown. Credit goes to Pam Parker for a nicely organized event. I'd never spent much time in the Lehigh Valley before so I did not know what to expect, but ended up having a lovely day.

My table was located on the main hall of the Grange, with about 30 other artists and vendors of all kinds of handmade goods. I made friends with the other potter in the show, Pia Somerlock, who has her studio in the Poconos and has been doing this for about 10 years. She makes a wide variety of stuff including stoneware pots that are earthy on the outside, and brightly glazed on the inside. She will be at the Reading Public Museum "Art of the Craft" show next weekend.

I also chatted for a while with Melanie Linder, who has banded with a group of women from the Kutztown area to form Z-Town Made, an artist collective. A lot of their work seemed to be influenced by Pennsylvania Dutch folk art, but with a design-y freshness that is totally appealing. Maybe they are showing how design-y Pennsylvania Dutch folk art actually is. I ended up buying one of Melanie's prints.

A band called My Cousin The Emperor (I think?) played on the Grange stage, keeping the energy up throughout the day. There was also some very tasty food being sold downstairs, including a delicious butternut squash soup with fresh bread.

Speaking of food, after the show was over and I packed everything up, a source recommended I stop by Yocco's -The Hot Dog King, a local landmark fast food place. So I got pierogies, hotdog, and a birch beer before getting onto the Turnpike. Happy endings.

Updates

Update on The Clay Studio's 35th Birthday Party and Silent Auction.

To view auction items or bid online, go to the 35th Birthday link on The Clay Studio's website and scroll down to the Silent Auction link, or just click here, where you can browse all the artists, search by artist, and register to be able to bid on the auction. Bidding closes at 8:30pm on Saturday, October 10th.

Tickets are $35 for the party. Live bands include Courtney Fairchild and Twister Baby! Beer from Victory Brewing Company! Wheel-throwing and hand-building demos!

River City Festival

I found out about, and decided to apply to this kind of last minute, but I am looking forward to having a booth at the River City Festival this coming Saturday, October 3rd from 12 - 5pm. This is a celebration of the waterfront at Penn Treaty Park sponsored by the Fishtown Neighbors Association and will include a 5K run, live bands, community programs, and vendors.

I have been working on lots of new cups and will also have snowkid ornaments for sale (yes, already!).

I have also been applying to some other craft fairs this fall, for the holiday shopping season, and will definitely post about those when they are confirmed!

Cupcakes for Claymobile

If you will be in Old City this coming First Friday, surely you would like to stop by The Clay Studio at 2nd & Race Streets where the Claymobile, The Clay Studio's educational outreach program, will be having a BAKE SALE to raise funds for the Claymobile's programs.

The Clay Studio will also be holding their opening for exhibits by John Utgaard, graduate students, and one of my previous instructors and friend, Shawn Spangler.

Hush Cups

The Clay Studio is celebrating its 35th Anniversary on October 10th with a big event throughout the whole building (they are tenting the parking lot too!) that includes live music, BBQ, and silent auction. I have donated a pair of Hush Cups to the silent auction. These are small cups thrown on the wheel, and altered by my thumbs and fingers pushing out or into the cups' sides. I had been meaning to create a kind of puffy, cloudlike vessel, which they sort of are, but even more than that I like how they appear to hold something just below the surface, a suggestion that is not entirely revealed.

The Silent Auction will be on view at The Clay Studio starting October 2nd through the 10th. I think the auction will also be accessible online and will post that information when I have it. Read more about the 35th Birthday Bash here.

**UPDATE**
to view auction items or bid online, go to the 35th Birthday link on The Clay Studio's website and scroll down to the Silent Auction link, or just click here, where you can browse all the artists, search by artist, and register to be able to bid on the auction. Bidding closes at 8:30pm on Saturday, October 10th.

Pulling Triggers: A work in progress

Here is a project I have been working on for the past few months: someone put me in touch with a fellow who needs some cups made for his wife. She has rheumatoid arthritis, so she has a specific mug that is comfortable for her to hold, based on things such as the size, weight, placement and size of the handles. This is a photo of one of her own mugs on the left. I am told that Bennington Potters in Vermont makes this style of mug, and it is often referred to as a Bennington Trigger.

But inevitably, cups break, and her supply of these are running low.


Her husband asked me to make some more for her. "It has to fit her like a glove," he told me. I said I'd give it a shot.



I finished a batch and sent them to her to try out. They returned with her user feedback on little stickies. For example:






So I have made another set, trying to get the size and hole placement right on target, and we shall see how it feels.

It is cool to have a project like this, which not only makes my degree in industrial design seem relevant but also gets me to throw many pots.

I also am learning to appreciate how difficult daily life is--just holding a coffee cup-- for someone with rheumatoid arthritis.